The Forgotten Warrior/Chapter 19
Chapter description :Lionblaze is leading a patrol that consists of Hazeltail, Rosepetal, Cinderheart, and Foxleap. Foxleap and Hazeltail are having a conversation about Hollyleaf and Ashfur, but Lionblaze glares at them and they fall silent after remembering Hollyleaf is his sister. The patrol reaches the WindClan border, alert and searching for intruders, but Lionblaze notices that Cinderheart seems distracted. He asks her if she is okay when she runs into a bramble, but she snaps that she is fine. When she later wanders away, Lionblaze hisses that there is a WindClan patrol to check if Cinderheart is awake. She starts and grows angry at him, telling him he isn't her mentor. The patrol finishes checking the border, and Lionblaze privately checks the tunnels, wondering if Heathertail had any loyalty to him anymore, before glancing at Cinderheart and commenting that relationships are complicated. :As the patrol returns to camp, there are cries coming from the clearing. They run into the camp to find no attackers, but several cats are gathered around Mousewhisker and Cherrypaw, who are writhing in pain. Mousewhisker says that they shared a bad mouse, but Leafpool says that a mouse wouldn't cause that. He explains they had eaten some parsley to cure the bellyache, but Leafpool tells them that that wouldn't cause it and they must have eaten water hemlock, which only deathberries are more poisonous than. Leafpool pins them down to stop their flailing, as otherwise they would choke on their tongues and Lionblaze follows suit. Cinderheart enters the camp, and says she'll get the herbs. Leafpool starts to tell her what she needs, but she just replies that she knows. :Cinderheart returns with yarrow and instructs Lionblaze to hold Mousewhisker's head. Lionblaze asks her where she learned that, but Cinderheart snaps that they have no time and forces the yarrow down Mousewhisker's throat and kneads his belly. Leafpool is doing the same to Cherrypaw, and Cinderheart corrects her, much to Lionblaze's surprise. Both of the cats vomit soon after, and Leafpool assures Poppyfrost and Daisy that they will be fine. :Lionblaze confronts Leafpool, asking her if she had been training Cinderheart. She replies that she had not, and asks Cinderheart if she knows. Cinderheart replies that she does. Just then, Jayfeather and Brightheart return to the clearing, and Leafpool explains what had happened and tells him Cinderheart knew exactly what to do. Jayfeather is shocked, and Leafpool asks him why he told her. Jayfeather snaps that she deserved to know that StarClan had chosen a new destiny for her. Cinderheart points out that she's still there, and Leafpool apologizes and explains they had agreed to keep it a secret from her. Cinderheart angrily tells her that she had no right to decide that, and Leafpool replies that everything was fine before. Cinderheart says that she can't stop all of Cinderpelt's memories from pouring into her head, and that if StarClan truly wanted to give her a second chance, they would have kept the memories away. Jayfeather whispers that he hadn't meant for that to happen, and Cinderheart goes on to say she doesn't know who she is anymore, and that she is the echo of a dead cat. Leafpool attempts to comfort her, but she snaps and runs out of the camp. Lionblaze follows her. :He finds her under a hazel bush, shredding leaves. He jokes that she'll need medicine cat skills to put that together, and Cinderheart miserably replies that she has many of them. Lionblaze apologizes and says that he hates it, too, and tells her that she is Cinderheart when she says she doesn't know who she is. She says she hasn't always been, and that she's walked the path she's on before. Lionblaze tells her that she is a warrior, but Cinderheart explains that that wasn't what she meant. She says Cinderpelt was in love with a cat she couldn't have, just like she is. Lionblaze flinches and murmurs that they will talk later before slipping away towards the lake. :As he sits at the water's edge, he thinks about how lucky the rest of the Clan is not to be involved with prophecies and dead cats, and realizes he doesn't know what to do. Squirrelflight comes up to him after some time and asks if he wants to talk. Lionblaze thinks that she was the last cat he would have talked to, but blurts out that it was unfair for both Cinderheart and himself. Squirrelflight agrees that everyone deserves happiness, and that she wouldn't have changed anything. Lionblaze admits that she had been a good mother, and says that she should have kits with Brambleclaw. Squirrelflight replies that it wasn't going to happen, but it was probably a good thing it hadn't and that she loved the three siblings. She tells him it breaks her heart that he is unhappy, and he replies that Cinderheart is the one that is most unhappy. Characters Major *Cinderheart }} Minor *Foxleap *Mousewhisker *Cherrypaw *Poppyfrost *Molepaw *Leafpool *Jayfeather *Squirrelflight }} Mentioned *Hollyleaf *Ashfur *Sol *Heathertail *Daisy *Ferncloud *Brightheart *Firestar *Cinderpelt *Brambleclaw }} Notes and references Category:Omen of the Stars arc Category:Chapter subpages Category:The Forgotten Warrior